Automatic box wrapping system



Jan. 6, 1959 w. F. ANDRESEN, JR., ETAL 2,867,158 Q AUTOMATIC BOX WRAPPING SYSTEM 15 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 4, 1955 Jan. 6, 1959 w. F. ANDRESEN, JR., ETAL AUTOMATIC BOX WRAPPING SYSTEM 15 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 4, 1955 Ll lllllll Ill w. F. ANDRESEN, JR., ET AL Jan. 6, 1959 AUTOMATIC BOX WRAPPING SYSTEM 15 Sheets-Sheet 3 F..led April 4, i955 w. F. AINDRESIIIN, JR., El AL 2,867,158

Jan. 1959 AUTOMATIC BOX WRAPPING SYSTEM 15 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed April 4, 1955 Jan. 6, 1959 w. F. ANDRESEN, JR., ETAL 2,867,153

AUTOMATIC BOX WRAPPING SYSTEM Filed April 4, 1955 15 Sheets-Sheet 5 T0 Moro/P con/Mal.

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Jan. 6, 1959 w. F. ANDRESEN, JR., ETAL 2,867,158 7 AUTOMATIC BOX WRAPPING SYSTEM Filed April 4, 1955 15 Sheets-Sheet 6 Fig. 9

5 Fig/0' Jan. 6, 1959 w. F. ANBRESEN, JR., ET AL 2,867,158

AUTOMATIC BOX WRAPPING SYSTEM 15 Sheets-Sheet '7 Filed April 4, 1955 Jan. 6, 1959 'w. F. ANDRESEN, JR., ET AL 6 AUTOMATIC BOX WRAPPING SYSTEM Filed April 4, 1955 15 Sheets-Sheet 8 Jan. 6, 1959 W. F. ANDRESEN, JR, ETAL AUTOMATIC BOX WRAPPING SYSTEM Filed April 4, 1955 15 Sheets-Sheet 9 Jan. 6, 1959 w. F. ANDRESEN, JR., IETALI 2,867,158

I AUTOMATIC BOX WRAPPING SYSTEM 15 Sheets-Sheet 10 Filed April 4, 1955 Jan. 6, 1959 w. F. ANDRESEN, JR" ETAL AUTOMATIC BOX WRAPPING SYSTEM 15 Sheets-Sheet 11 Filed April 4, 1955 Jan. 6, 1959 w. F. ANDRESEN, JR., EAL 6 AUTOMATIC BOX WRAPPING SYSTEM iled April 4, 1955 15 Sheets-Sheet 12 Jan. 6, 1959 'w. F. ANDRESEN, JR., ETAL AUTOMATIC BOX WRAPPING SYSTEM Filed April 4, 1955' 15 Sheets-Sheet 13 I ig. 20

Jan. 6, 1959 w. F. ANDRESEN, JR., EIAL AUTOMATIC BOX WRAPPING SYSTEM 15 Sheets-Sheet 14 Filed April 4, 1955 ETAL Jan. 6, 1959 w. F. ANDRESEN, JR

AUTOMATIC BOX WRAPPING SYSTEM 15 Sheets-Sheet 15 Filed April 4, 1955 United States Patent AUTOMATIC BOX WRAPPING SYSTEM William F. Andresen, .lr., Contoocook, N. H., and Roy Schempp, Philadelphia, Pa., assignors, by mesne assignments, to Food Machinery and Chemical Corporation, San Jose, Calif., a corporation of Delaware Application April 4, 1955, Serial No. 498,914 21 Claims. (Cl. 93-54) This invention relates to automatic systems for covering box components, containers and the like hereinafter generically termed boxes. More particularly, this invention provides a box wrapping system of the full automatic type wherein box blanks and wrappers in the fiat, once they are fed into the system, are not further handled by an operator until after their removal from the system as finished covered boxes.

The present invention is an improvement upon full automatic systems of the prior art, examples of which are the full automatic systems disclosed in Stokes U. S. Patents Nos. 2,016,462 and 2,111,700. In the present invention the box components in their different stages of completion pass through the system or machine in a substantially straight line path as viewed from above, thus utilizing a minimum of floor space and. permitting two machines to be operated side by side or end to end simultaneously to wrap a box bottom and its complementary cover and to discharge the respective box components in finished condition at a common station for assembly into completed units.

The present invention relates particularly to full automatic systems of the type where box blanks are fed to a staying machine where they are stayed and thereafter fed as set-up boxes to an assembly station. At the assembly station each set-up box is automatically deposited on an adhesive-coated wrapper and thereafter both are fed as a box and wrapper assembly to a box wrapping.

machine where the wrapper is completely applied to the set-up box. While all of the operations or steps in a full automatic wrapping system are important and each must be performed in timed relation with the other, the most important operation is that of registering a set-up box in a precise position on a wrapper when both arrive at the assembly station. In box wrapping systems of the semi-automatic type such as described and claimed in the copending application of Lange et al., Serial No. 181,732, filed August 28, 1950, and issued April 12, 1955, as Patent No. 2,705,905, the registering operation at the assembly station is performed by an operator who places the set-up box on each of the wrappers to form box and wrapper assemblies. Inasmuch as this operation is performed by an operator, various changes in operating conditions can be compensated for by the operator without impairing the operation of the system. For example, if the wrapper conveyor does not deliver a wrap-' per to precisely the same location with each cycle of the system, the operator merely moves the set-up box to his right or to his left in assembling a set-up box on the wrapper. Thus any misalignment in the feed of the wrappers by the wrapper conveyor would probably not even be noticed by the operator. In fact, in box wrapper conveyors of the type disclosed in the aforesaid Lange et al. patent, the alignment of the wrappers on the wrapper conveyor is accomplished from the leading edge of the wrapper, and thus when a change in wrapper size is-made from a small wrapper to a large wrapper, the

center line of the assembly station, where the operator 2,867,158 Patented Jan. 6, 1959 assembles a set-up box on a wrapper, is in effect moved to the left of the operator, assuming that the wrappers are being fed from left to right withrespect to the operator. Such variations in alignment of box wrappers would impair the effectiveness of a full automatic system and therefore cannot be tolerated.

Accordingly, it is one of the objects of the present invention to provide a full automatic box wrapping system wherein it is insured that the set-up box will be registered on the wrappers in a precisely aligned position even for different sizes in order that the finished box will be properly wrapped and at output speeds as great as forty or more boxes per minute. There are various novel features of the box conveyor, the registering device, the gluer and the wrapper conveyor which all contribute to the automatic registration and assembly of the set-up box and its associated wrapper, as will be hereinafter pointed out and described more in detail.

For a more detailed disclosure of the invention and for further objects and advantages thereof, reference may be had to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the automatic box wrapping system;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a front elevation on enlarged scale of the box conveyor with parts broken away;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the box support and box plunger of the registering device;

. Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the box plunger and its associated parts;

Fig. 7 is an end view of the box support and box plunger looking toward the box conveyor;

Fig. 8 is a schematic view showing the control for the complete system as viewed from the rear of the system in Figs. 1 and 2;

Fig. 9 is a fractional view on' enlarged scale of a box support and box stn'pper;

Fig. 10 is a top plan view of Fig. 9;

Figs. 11 and 11A show a modification of the box supports and associated structure shown in Figs. 5 and 9;

Figs. 12 and 12A are fractional views partly in section showing the conveyor nose and associated wrapper feeding and gluing mechanism;

Fig. 13 is a sectional view taken along the lines 13-13 in Fig. 12;

Fig. 14 is a fractional lines 14-14 in Fig. 13;

Fig. 15 is a fractional view on enlarged scale of the latching mechanism in Fig. 14;

Fig. 16 is a perspective view of the telescoping conveyor nose;

Fig. 17 is a view of the gear mechanism taken from the front of the machine as viewed in Figs. 1 and 2 for continuous driving of the glue roll and the reversing label feed roll drive; v

Fig. 18 is a view of the gear mechanism taken from the rear of the machine showing the intermittent drive: of the suction conveyor and the continuous drive for the" Fig. 24 is a fractional elevational view on enlarged plan view of Fig. 12 taken along for the register- G', a suction conveyor C and a box wrapping machine M. The stayer S may be of any suitable type such, for example, as of the type shown in Davis et al. Patent No. 728,086, and the adhesive on the stays s may be either of the water activated type or the heat activated type. The box blanks b are illustrated as precut and fed to the machine'from a stack of blanks b in Figs. 1 and 2. The staying machine S is shown as a quad stayer and thus the four corners of the box are stayed concurrently. The box blanks b thus automatically are transformed by the stayer S from blanks b in the flat to stayed set-up boxes 3. As they leaveythe staying machine S, the set-up boxes B are'delivered in succession from a belt of the staying machine onto the belt 11 of the box conveyor, BC and continue in a" straight line to a position underneath the plunger P of the box registering device R. The plunger P forces a box B downwardly onto a wrapper W, Fig. 2, which has been previously coated with adhesive and fed by cooperation of the gluer G and the suction conveyor C to an assembly station directly beneath the plunger P. As hereinafter more fully described, the adhesive-coated wrapper W is moved into a position beneath the plunger P such that the center lines of the wrapper are precisely in alignment with the center lines of the box B to be assembled therewith. Thereafter the assemblies comprising an adhesive-coated wrapper in the flat and a set-up box registered thereon are moved step by step by the suction conveyor C to a transfer station opposite the box wrapping machine M. It will be noted that the movement of the boxes B, from the time they left the stayer S until the box and wrapper assemblies arrive at the transfer station opposite the box wrapping machine M, has been in a straight line path as viewed from above in Fig. 2.

The box machine M is of the type shown in U. S. Patents Nos. 2,074,561 and 2,144,338 and preferably includes the automatic transfer mechanism described and claimed in aforesaid Patent No. 2,705,905. The main cam 12 is attached to a vertical shaft 13 which is driven from a motor. m Fig. 8, through a clutch 14. As hereinafter more fully described, the operations of the stayer S, the gluer G and the suction conveyor C are synchronized with the operation of the box machine M by means of electromechanical connections. To initiate operation of the box wrapping system and specifically the machine M, a pedal 15, Fig. 1, is depressed causing the driving and driven elements of clutch 14 to be engaged to rotate. shaft 13 through one revolution. At the. end of. one revolu-- tion of shaft 13, which corresponds with one cycle of. the wrapping machine, the driving and driven elements in clutch 14 are adapted to be disengaged to interrupt operation of the machine, provided the pedal 15 does. not remain depressed, in which event the cycle repeats. Inasmuch as the system is of the full automatic: type, once the pedal 15 is depressed, it preferably remains in that position until the box run is. completed or until it is desired to shut down the system.

During each cycle of the box wrapping machine M the main cam 12 makes one complete revolution and the form block P, Fig. 1, comprising an upper form and a lower form, is moved from the upper position shown in Fig. 1 downwardly in a path adjacent various sheet-apply,- ing tools and thence back to its original position shown in Fig. 1 During such movement, the bottom. of' the box is clamped between the lower form block and a platen, not shown. The movement of the form block F and relative movements with respect to each other ofits components are effected by levers 16 and 17 having cam followers which ride in the cam grooves in the main cam 12; As is well understood in the art, the particular form block selected for a box run is dimensioned to suit the particular boxes to be wrapped by the machine.

The various sheet-applying tools, including side rolls, end rolls, marginal turn-in toolsand presser blocks, are carried by four tool slides adjustably connected to table 18 of the'machine M and each is provided with operating members connected by way of slidable sleeve 19 which in turn is controlled from a cam 20 on. the lower end of the vertical shaft 13. During each cycle of the machine M, the sleeve 19 is reciprocated to effect the various sheet-applying operations of the tools, all as more fully shown and. described in aforesaid Patent No. 2,074,561.

Referring to Figs. 1 and2, the conveyor C is intermittently advanced, making one step for each cycle of the box wrapping machine M to transport adjacent the path of form block F the assemblies, each comprising a stayed box B to which is adhesively attached to the bottom panel thereof partially applied sheet material illustrated as a wrapper or'label W. The conveyor C is of the suction type for holding the Wrappers flat on the conveyor by suction, as in Stokes U. S. Patent No. 1,701,317 or in Davis U. S. Patent No. 1,818,198, and includes additional novel features which also form part of the present in vention. The gluing machine'G which delivers adhesivecoated wrappers to'the conveyor C in manner similar to that shown in the aforesaid Stokes patent or Federwitz U. S; PatentNo. 1,772,344 also includes novel features which form part of the present invention as hereinafter tohe described more in detail.

Before discussing in detail the various novel features that cooperate'and contribute to the improved operation of the present full automatic box wrapping system, there will first be described a general operation of the system. Referring to Figs. 1, 2 and 8, stayed boxes B are fed in succession from the box conveyor BC to box supporting structure 201 disposed beneath the plunger P of the registeringdevice R. The boxes B are moved in succession against box stop means including a pair of spaced stop members 30 and 31 for aligning the set-up boxes B with the plunger P; The stop member 31, as hereinafter more fully-described, preferably includes a suction port and a suction connection illustrated as a suction line 32 connected to a vacuum pump 33, the latter also supplying suction for feeding the wrappers W to the gluer G as hereinafter to be described. The vacuum pump 33 may be driven from any suitable means and is illustrated diagrammaticallyin Fig. 8 as being driven througha suitable chain and sprocket arrangement including chains 34 and 62 from a drive motor m which, as later to be described, drives the gluer G and also the suction conveyor C and box conveyor BC.

when a box B arrives in positionv underneath the plunger P and against the stop members 38 and 31, the suction port in member 31 will be closed by the box, thus closing the suction line 32 with respect to atmosphere and thereby causing the diaphragm device 35, Fig. 8,

.which is connected to suction line 32, to withdraw a pivoted latch member 36 from its latching engagement with pivoted arm 37, the latter forming part of the operating mechanism for the plunger P' in the registering device R.

To put the box wrapping system into operation, the pedal 15, Fig. 1, is depressed causing the one-time shaft 13 and its cylindrical cam 12 to be driven through a revolution from motor m by way of clutch 14. Also carried on shaft 13 is a gluer trip cam 39, Fig. 8, which engages a cam' follower 40 on the pivoted arm 41 which isinterconnected with a shaft 42 in the gluer by way of. cable 43 and arm 44 which is secured to shaft 42. The shaft 13 rotates in a. clockwise. direction, Fig. 8, causing the cable 43 to be moved in the direction of the arrow to rotate shaft 42 in a clockwise direction causing the link mechanism 50 connected thereto to release the latch mechanism 55 for rotation of shaft 61 which supports worm wheel 60, the latter normally being free on shaft 61. The shaft 61 is a one-time shaft and is driven from drive motor m by way of chain 62, a sprocket on shaft 63, meshing gears 64 and 65, shaft 66 and worm 67, the latter meshing with and continuously driving worm wheel 60. At the end of one cycle, i. e. one revolution of shaft 61, if the latching mechanism 55 is in tripped position, as will be the case if pedal 15, Fig. 1, remains depressed to cause continuous rotation of shaft 13 in wrapping machine M, the shaft 61 'will repeat its cycle as is the intended operation when the system is being operated continuously. At the opposite ends of shaft 61 is a cam 70 which rotates with the shaft and is adapted to engage a cam follower 71 on a pivoted arm 72 which in turn is connected by way of a link 73 and arm 74 to a shaft 75 at the opposite end of which is provided a tripping mechanism 36) for the registering device R. The tripping mechanism 80 includes a latch member 81 which normally engages a cooperating member 82 carried by the driven clutch member 83. Driving member 84 of the clutch is continuously driven from a suitable source of power such as a motor m by way of a chain 86. Rotatable with driven clutch member 83 is a cam 87 which also is adapted to be driven through one revolution for each cycle. When latch member 81 is moved to released position with respect to member 82, cam 87 is rotated by motor m and causes arm 89 to be pivoted by reason of the engagement between its cam follower 89a and the periphery of cam 87. Arm 89 isfixed on a shaft 90 at the opposite end of which is fixed another arm 37, the latter being connected by way of a link 92 and a bell crank 93 to one end of a tension spring 94, the opposite end of which is fixed to the frame of the registering device R. The spring 94 biases the cam follower 89a against cam 87 and also supplies the source of power for reciprocating plunger P through the mechanical connection including arm 95 and link 96. The arm 95 is pivoted by bell crank 93 through their common pivot 91.

It will be recalled that when box B arrived in position against the suction stop member 31, the latch member 36 was withdrawn from its latching position with respect to arm 37. Thus when cam 37 is rotated by motor m the arm 37 may bepivoted to its upper or dotted line position as shown in Fig. 8 under the action of cam follower 89a moving over the rise on cam 87 and thus rotating arm 89, shaft 90 and arm 37. As the arm 37 moves upwardly, the spring 94 also rotates the bell crank 93 about its central pivot 91 and thus through arm 95 and link 96 moves the plunger P downwardly to move the box B from its supported position to a registered position on the adhesive-coated wrapper W. As cam 87 continues its rotation and completes its cycle, the plunger vP is withdrawn from the box and the box stripped from the plunger as the latter moves upwardly to its original position as illustrated in Fig. 8, all as more fully described hereinafter.

It will alsobe noted that when arm 37 is in its dotted line position as shown in Fig. 8, the contacts of normally open microswitch 100 are closed thereby energizing the solenoid 101 in the timing relay 102. The timing relay 102 is preferably of the electropneumatic type permitting a time delay in opening its contacts 103, 154 after they are closed by the solenoid 151. The electrical power for solenoid 101 may be derived from suitable line connections L L When the contacts 103, 104 in the time delay relay 162 are closed, they in turn, by way of circuit connections 105 and 166, close a magnetic switch in the control panel, not shown, thereby starting the motor for the staying machine S and preferably releasing a brake on such motor, not shown. The stayer S also includes a one-time shaft 110 carrying a cam 111 which closes a normally open switch 112, thereby keeping the stayer motor running, after the contacts 163 and m Fig. 8. The tension on the belt 11 may 104 of the time delay relay 102 have -opened, until the cam 111 permits the switch 112 to open. When switch 112 is opened, the magnetic brake on the now-deenergized stayer motor causes the latter to stop and prevents the staying cycle from being repeated in part by the momentum of the deenergized motor.

Having described the general operation of the box 'wrapping system, more detailed reference will now be made to various components of the system and more particularly to the novel features thereof which contribute to the improved operation of the present full automatic box wrapping system.

The box conveyor includes novel features of the present invention. The box conveyor BC, Figs. 1 and 2, is shown on enlarged scale in Figs. 3 and 4. The box conveyor BC includes a main frame supported at one end adjacent the staying machine S by a support member 151 and at its opposite end by a bracket 152, Fig. 1, carried by the frame of the gluer G. The belt 11 is of the endless type and passes along an arcuate path over rollers 153 and 154 disposed respectively at opposite ends of the conveyor. The upper run of the belt passes along an are at the lower end of the conveyor and terminates in a substantially horizontal plane at the upper or discharge end. This construction provides small angular gaps between successive boxes and eliminates the large angular gap resulting from abrupt angular change in belt travel thus permitting the use of a top guide 180 to prevent piling up of the boxes. The belt 11 preferably is formed of a material having a high-friction outer surface such that the set-up boxes will readily be conveyed and moved along by it. An example of a belt having a suitable friction surface is one formed of a rubber covered fabric with the outer surface thereof being covered with many small projections closely spaced and extending outwardly from the outer surface of the belt. This type of belt has been found to be satisfactory in moving the boxes from the relatively low position from which they are discharged from the staying machine S upwardly to the relatively high position on the box supports 201, Figs. 1, 6 and 8, beneath the plunger P of the registering device R. As hereinafter described, the belt 11 is driven continuously and preferably from motor be adjusted by any suitable means such, for example, as by the roller 155 that is adapted to engage the inner surface of the belt 11 and is pivoted from opposite sides of the frame 150 by a pair of arms 156, 156. The position of the roller 155 with respect to the belt 11 may be adjusted by means of the threaded rod 157 that extends through an eyelet 15S carried by arm 156, the upper end of rod 157 being pivotally carried by frame 150. A pair of nuts 159 are adapted to be disposed one on each side of member 158 to lock the arm 156 and thus roller 155 in its desired position for applying the selected tension to belt 11. As may be ,seen in Figs. 3 and 4, the belt 11 also passes over rollers 160 and 161 that are supported on frame 150, thus holding the portionof the belt 11 extending therebetween in a position closely adjacent the underside of frame 150.

To aid in transferring the stayed boxes B from the conveyor belt 10 of the staying machine S to box conveyor belt 11, there is preferably provided a transfer means bridging the space between the conveyor belts 10 and 11, such transfer means having been illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4 as a transfer plate 165 also carried by the frame 150 of the box conveyor BC. In order to prevent the boxes B from becoming displaced from the conveyor BC as they are being moved along by the belt 11 to the station beneath the plunger P, the frame 150 of the box conveyor BC is provided with side guides 170, 170, one

disposed on each side of the path along which the boxes travel. It is frequently necessary to wrap boxes of different sizes, and thus it is preferable that the side guides be adjustable. For example, in one application of the present invention a box wrapping system was con-1 structedifor handling box sizes-that ranged from aminimum'ofi4 inches by 2iinchesby- /z inch to a maximum of inches. by 10 inches by 2%.inches (scoremeasure). Accordingly, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the side guides 170, 170 are provided with spaced rod members 171 projecting therefrom at'spacedlocations and in a direction away from the box path. Each of the rods 171 is..adapted to be received by clamping means 172 of the duplex type which includes a clamping block having openings extending therethrough and perpendicular to each other with the horizontal opening being adapted to receive rod 171 and the vertical opening being adapted to receive rod 175, the lower end of which is secured to frame by a bracket 176. The clamping blocks 172 are provided with threaded holes adjacent the rod openingsrespectively to receive cooperating threaded membersillustrated as thumb screws 177 and 178. As may be; seen in Figs. 3 and 4, the clamping blocks 172 are providediwith slits extending through the rod openings aswwell' as through the threaded openings for thumb screWs 177 and.178. Thus when the thumb screws 177 and 178'are tightened, they will in turn cause the correspondingslit sections of blocks172 to. grip the corresponding rods 171 and 175.. From the foregoing description it will beseen that the side guides 170, by adjustment of thumb screws 177 may be adjusted upward or downward with respect to the conveyor belt 11 to provide the. necessary guiding for boxes of different depths. Similarly, by adjusting thumb screws 178, the

side;guides.1-70, 170 may be moved to the proper locao tron to accommodate boxes of different widths.

The-conveyor belt 11 travels at a relatively high rate of speed in order to convey the boxes B to their upper position beneath the plunger P, and in order to prevent the boxes from piling up on top of each other as they are'b'eing fed along by the conveyor there is provided atop guide 180 that extends along the box path and over the;belt 11. The top box guide 130 is carried by support members 181 which in turn are carried by posts 175. The supports 181 are secured to the posts by adjustable means such as set screws 182. The top box guide has secured thereto a substantially U-shaped block member183which is adapted to extend beneath the members 181. TheU-shaped blocks 183 are each provided with a plate member 184 adapted: to extend over the members 181 and secured to the ends of the block 183 asby spaced screw members 185. Thus, the top guide 180 forthe boxes B may be raised or'lowered with respect to belt 11 to accommodate boxes of different depths by adjusting the set screws 182 to raise or lower the position of the supportmembers 181. It will be noted that some of the posts l75extend at difierent angles from the. frame150 than others, and thus the U-shaped block members 183 permit the top box guide 180 to be adjusted lengthwiseof the conveyor belt 11 during the up or down adjustment to compensate for thediiference in angular disposition ofpost members-175. Inasmuch as there is relatively littletdanger of the boxes B piling on top of eaehother as they first leave the staying machine S and during their initial travel on. the left-hand end of conveyorbelt 11:as viewed.in.Figs-1-4, the top box guide need not extend thefull length :of the box conveyor BC, and: thus the first post 175. at theleft-hand end of the box conveyor BC need not be provided with supporting structure .forv the top guide 180.

When the boxes B near the upper end of the box conveyor'BC adjacent the registering device R, it is desirable that: the sides of the boxes B be maintained in a substantially vertical position and that the sides be prevented from bowing. To this end the side guides 170 are provided with aseparate section 170:: which maybe adjusted approximate the box width. The mainsectionrofthe side guides 170 need not be adjusted to more: closely 1 to sozcl'osely-approximate the box width as the main func= tion Ofitheside-guides '170-is to prevent the boxes Bfrom falling cit of f thexconveyor belt 11, and this can be ac iii) complished without too precisean adjustment. thermore, it is preferable that 'the 'side guides170'not engage the sides of the boxes B too closely as they would increase the friction on' the sidewalls of the boxes'B and thus retard their movement upwardly along the path defined by the conveyor belt'l'l. To cooperate with the side guides 170a, the posts 175a at the corresponding end of the box conveyor BC are adapted to support thereabove roller structure illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4 as a pair of rollers which are adapted to be carried by a rod 191 they pass under the rollers 190 under the action of belt 11. As the boxes pass under the-rollers 190, the'rollers are caused to rotate and thereby aid the belt 11 in driving the boxes across thebox supporting structure 201' into the aligned position beneath the plunger P ofthe registering device R. By employing an anti-friction'device such as the rollers 190, it is insured that'the boxes B will be held in engagement with the high-friction surface of the belt 11 as they leave the end of the box conveyor, and thus there will be imparted to the boxes B a relatively high driving force which will insure that the boxes are moved to their proper position beneath plunger P.

While separate rollers 190 have been illustrated in Fig. 4, it is to be understood that a single continuous roller might be employed. In another modification it is proposed that ball bearing members may be utilized, one disposed on each side of the conveyor belt 11 to engage its respective edge of the box side in manner similar to the spaced rollers 190 shown in Fig. 4. It is also proposed that a second ball bearing member may be disposed on an axis at 90 with respect to the first ball bearing member to engage the outer surface of the respective side wall directly beneath the other ball hearing member. In this modification the ball bearing members that are adapted to engage the upper edges of the box sides may be supported on arms extending from rod 191 for pivotal movement about the axis of rod 191 above the conveyor belt 11.

The box supporting structure 201 also includes novel features of the present invention. Referring to Figs. 57, as the boxes are fed otf of the box conveyor BC and underneath the anti-friction members 190, the boxes slide over a transfer plate 200 and onto a box support 201. The box support 201 is carried on a pair of spaced slide members 202 disposed on opposite sides of the box path. The members 202 are slidably supported in a yoke frame 203 and adjustably secured thereto as by bolts 204, Fig. 7. The yoke-frame 203-isin turn-sup: ported on the side frames 205, 206 of the gluer G in manner hereinafter to be described.

Each of the slides 202 is provided with a V-shaped member 207 for guidinga box B into a. position beneath the plunger P. The members-207 are adapted to be secured to block members 208 which in turn. are secured to slides 202 by suitable means such as screws 209. secured to slides 202 means that also form flexible box supporting means, as illustrated in Figs. 5, 7 and 9, includes coil spring members 211, 211, one side of which projects into the box path beneath the guides 207. The opposite sides of springs 211, 211 are adapted to be held in engagement with cushioningmeans, illustrated as a strip of foam rubber 212, by means of a rod 213 that extends axially of the springs 211. As may be seen in Fig. 9, the r0d'213'is not disposed coaxiallyof spring 211, but instead has its axis disposed to one and supported on adjustable blocks 192' similar in construction to adjustable blocks 172. The

Beneath the V-shaped box guides 207 and also are novel flexible box supportingv part of the present invention. The

enemas side of the spring axis and'normally engages the inner surface of coil spring 211. Each rubber strip 212, Fig. 9, is supported by an L-shaped angle member'214 carried beneath each of the box guides 207 by slides 202. At the ends of members 214 are blocks 215, Fig. 5, which are adapted to receive the corresponding ends of rod 213.

To locate the boxes B in their proper position of alignment with the plunger P, the box guides 207 are provided with box stops 30 and 31 which are adjustable lengthwise of the guides 207. As the boxes leave the box conveyor 11, they ride over the transfer plate 200, along the guides 2,07 and onto the box supporting springs 211 until they engage the stops 30 and 31. The succeeding boxes on the box conveyor assist in driving the first box over against the box stops. As shown in Fig. 5, box stop 31 is provided with a suction port 3111 and a suction or vacuum connection in the form of a hose 32 which is connected to a suitable source of suction such as the vacuum pump 33, Fig. 8.

Before a box B arrives against the box stops 30 and 31, the suction port 31a will be open to atmosphere, thus causing a leak in the vacuum line, thereby preventing the diaphragm 35, Fig. 8, from operating to remove thelatch 36 with respect to the operating mechanism for the plunger P in registering device R. Accordingly, until a box B arrives against the stops 30 and 31 and closes the port 31a, the plunger P cannot be reciprocated, and thus there is avoided the danger of its being brought into direct contact with an adhesive-coated wrapper which would necessitate shutting down the machine "to remove the wrapper from the plunger P. When a box B does engage the box stops 30 and 31 and closes suction port 31a, the vacuum line 32 will be closed to atmosphere as manual valve V is normally in its closed position, and thus diaphragm 35 will operate to remove latch 36, thereby perrnitting actuation of plunger P in timed sequence with the other elements of the box wrapping system. in the event no wrappers are being fed by the gluer to the suction conveyor C, it is not desirable to have the plunger P continue to feed boxes down onto the conveyor C. In order to prevent the plunger P from feeding the boxes B, the valve V may be turned to opened position, thereby opening the vacuum line 32 to atmosphere, although port 31a is closed by a box, which will prevent the diaphragm 35- from operating to release the latch 36, and thus the plunger P will remain in its upper position as shown in Fig. 8.

The box plunger P comprises a rod 225 that is adapted to reciprocate vertically in the yoke frame 203, Fig. 7. At the lower end of rod 225 is a plunger form 226 preferably constructed from wood or other suitable material and having dimensions corresponding respectively to the length and width of the interior of the box B. As the plunger P moves downwardly, the form 226 is inserted into the interior of the box B, Fig. 5, and the coil springs 211 are adapted to be depressed along a length thereof corresponding to the length of the box B and to compress the sponge rubber strip 212, thus permitting the box B and the form 226 to pass between the coil springs 211 and down onto an adhesive-coated wrapper on the upper surface of the belt 230 of suction conveyor C. After the box B and the form 226 pass between the coil springs 211, the foam rubber strips 212 will cause the coil springs 211 to move back to their original positions as shown in Fig. 7. While the plunger P is in its lowermost position, the succeeding box B is prevented from moving toward the plunger P by a stop member 231 that r is carried by form 226 and extends vertically thereabove,

Figs. and 6. After the plunger P moves toward its upper position and the form 226 again passes between the coil springs 211, the box stop 231 will be raised to a position above the top edges of the succeeding boxes, and thus the latter can be fed by belt 11 into position 10 against thebox stops30 and 31 beneath plunger P preparatory to the initiation of another cycle of the box wrapping system. 7

In order to prevent the form 226 from raising the succeeding box 13 on its upward stroke, there is provided box hold-down means illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6 as a pair of shoe members 235 adjustably carried on vertical rods 236 by adjustable blocks 237, Fig. 6, on horizontally disposed rods 238 which in turn are carried by the yoke frame 203. The adjustable blocks 237 may be of construction similar to adjustable blocks 172, previously described, thus permitting both horizontal and vertical adjustment of shoe members 235 with respect to the upper edges of boxes B. The shoe members 235, in addition to serving as box hold-down means, also function to aid in guiding the boxes into position beneath the form 226 of the plunger P.

The form 226 preferably is provided with notches 226a at the end thereof adjacent the hold-down members 235 to permit the latter to extend partially under the form 226 as shown in Fig. 6, thus insuring that the edge of the succeeding box B will be engaged by the shoes 235. It will be understood that different sized forms 226 will be used with different sizes of boxes B, and the holddown members 235 may be correspondingly adjusted to accommodate such diiferent sizes of boxes.

After the boxes B have been moved down onto an adhesive-coated wrapper W on the suction conveyor C by the plunger P, it is necessary to withdraw the latter without lifting the boxes from the wrapper W. In order to insure that this result is accomplished, there are provided pivoted stripping means, each including a pivoted arm 250 mounted on a pivot 251 and supported from a clamp 252 which in turn is carried by an arm 253 depending from each of slides 202, Figs. 7 and 9. The stripping arm 250 is spring biased by spring 249 to its upper position as illustrated in dotted lines in Fig. 9, and when the box and plunger move downward to the lower position shown in Fig. 9, the stripping arm is pivoted downwardly to its position illustrated in full line. The form 226 is provided with vertical guide members 254 which are adapted to be engaged by the pivoted arms 250 and thus prevent the box B from moving upwardly off of wrapper W as the lower ends of the arms 250 are held in position over the edges of the box sides until the form 226 is removed from the interior of the box B. Referring to Figs. 9 and 10, as the plunger moves up wardly and thus removes the form 226 from within the box B, the end 250a of arm 250 rides against the vertical member 254 and prevents the box B from moving upwardly with the form 226 and off wrapper W. As soon as the vertical member 254 moves to a position beyond the end of arm 250, the latter is rotated upwardly under the bias of spring 249 to its initial position as shown in dotted line in Fig. 9 with projection 25015 in engagement with member 252. 1

As may be seen in Fig. 5, the bottom edge of the form 226 is beveled at 226b to aid in entry and removal'of the form with respect to box B. When boxes of shallow depth are being fed through the system, it is sometimes difficult to hold the boxes B on the form 226 during downward movement due to the shallow side walls. Accordingly, as shown in Fig. 5, in order to assist in holding the shallow boxes B on the form 226, there is provided a brush 260 carried by the box support and disposed therebeneath. Thus, as the plunger moves down with a shallow box on form 226, the bristles of the brush 260 will engage the outer surface of the side wall of the box and restrain the box from falling off the form 226 during its downward movement. .It is not necessary to use a brush except upon shallow work as the walls on the deeper boxes will provide sufficient frictional engagement with the corresponding walls on the. form 226 to prevent the boxes from falling 0E the form prior to deposit of the boxes on the wrappers. 

